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A group of religious conspiracy theorists in a Facebook group are trying to warn people of the satanic nature of the design of Reebok sneakers. However, their message is being taken about as well as can be expected, considering the source.
The Facebook group called Prophecy News shared a promotional image of “new” Reebok sneakers, and claimed they were modeled after “Baphomet’s” goat feet.
And while they might seem innocuous enough, you still might be wondering what’s going on here.
The sneakers were a collaboration between Reebok and French fashion house Maison Margiela.
The shoes are described by Reebok as Decortiqué Tabi Low.
The tabi toed shoes are a design signature of John Galliano. His work with Maison Margiela has produced boots with a similar aesthetic, so it was only natural the collaboration with Reebok would make similar sneakers.
The shoes retailed for $595.00.
None of this matters to Prophecy Now who describe themselves as sharing “the latest prophecies from the prophets of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ during [the] last days of the face of the Earth.”
Instead, they just pointed out the shoes kind of look like hooves and that for some reason means they’re demonic.
It's an... interesting take.
Despite what they might think, the split toe design originates from tabi footwear in Japan.
They have the split in the toes as they were originally socks worn with thonged footwear.
The design evolved over time and Jika-tabi became boots unto themselves. This is what boots made by Maison Margiela were modeled after.
The sneaker collaboration from Reebok very intentionally takes after this aesthetic.
While some people might be interested in picking up the shoes after seeing the religious conspiracy backlash, others couldn’t get past the look.
It’s just not everyone’s cup of tea.
Despite the fact the shoes have nothing to do with demonic imagery, some people still took the conspiracy theory seriously.
Even when the cultural history of tabi shoes was pointed out to them, Prophecy Now refused to take down the post.